Is Inequality the Problem?

A data-rich analysis that will reshape our understanding of how rising income inequality has actually affected societies in the industrialized world. Increasing economic inequality is now one of the most studied subjects in the social sciences. The general view is that while its increase represents a bad social outcome in and of itself, its negative impact extends into numerous other realms of social life: declines in living standards for those in the lower deciles of the income ladder, wor...